Flush from the previous day's festival atmosphere in downtown Anchorage, we pick up our car in the morning and decide to venture. The concept of urban wilderness isn't entirely alien to Minnesota-dwelling Outsiders. However, given the non-homo sapiens population statistics kindly provided by the ADN, I find myself wondering if Bear Insurance would be part of the well-prepared cheechako's travel kit. We have none. Following Claudia's example from yesterday, I look to the mountains and orient Continue Reading

When you realize you're in a place that defies expectation, it's generally not in the airport. Yet, we were hit with the first clue when we spotted the hotel's van, covered by a graphic of a mama and her baby grizzlies. Its driver, whose smiling countenance is broadly chiseled with Native features, provides the first of many welcomes as she loads our gear. "The mountains are to the east, " says Claudia, and so they are. "When I lived Outside, I never knew where I was. Now that I'm back, I Continue Reading